Spain is no. 1 team, 4th straight year
Posted December 21, 2011 9:35 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ZURICH, Switzerland — Spain has been named Team of the Year by FIFA after finishing at the top of the world rankings for the fourth straight year.
The world and European champions are leading the monthly rankings released Wednesday. There was no movement among the top 19 teams after a month in which only six competitive internationals were played.
The Netherlands remained second, ahead of Germany, Uruguay and England.
Bosnia-Herzegovina moved up three places to an all-time high of 20, while Panama (49), Estonia (57) and American Samoa (186) also hit best-ever positions. American Samoa’s 18-place climb was down to the tiny Pacific state’s first World Cup qualifying win.
Wales was the highest climber of 2011, gaining 64 places to No. 48 by the end of the year.
